Arsenal progress under Arteta is clear but flaws still remain for the ultimate glory

W hen it was finally over – on the night and for the club season, devastation the overriding emotion for everyone connected to Arsenal – Declan Rice wanted to go back to make the point. To last July and his club’s first pre-season game, against Milan in Singapore. Arsenal won 1-0 before the teams agreed to stage a penalty shootout. The idea was clear: to practise in front of a crowd because you just cannot replicate this particular aspect of the game on the training ground. Arsenal lost. So at least there was a kind of symmetry to how it all ended on Saturday night in the Champions League final, Arsenal losing on penalties to Paris Saint-Germain, Gabriel Magalhães missing the decisive kick in round five. As an aside, Arsenal had two other shootouts in pre-season, against Villarreal and Athletic Club. They lost the former, Gabriel missing the fifth, again. They won the latter. What Rice wanted to stress was the marathon nature of a season that has brought the club’s first Premier League title since 2004 and defeats in two finals: the Carabao Cup and now the Champions League. “This season from start to finish … we started in July in Singapore and we’re now coming up to July again,” Rice said. “We’ve just played our 63rd game in all competitions. It’s been really tough, mentally draining. Since October, it has been three games a week.” Nobody had the heart to mention what is up next for Rice: the World Cup with England in North America. …